Luis Alberto Ortiz (born May 25, 1970) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former player. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) from 1993 to 1996 for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eig ...

and Texas Rangers. He is currently an assistant

hitting coach In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, who determines the starting lineup and batting order, decides how to substitute players during the game, and makes strategy decisio ...

with the Red Sox.

Playing career

Ortiz played three seasons at

Union University Union University is a Private university, private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown, Tennessee, Germantown and Hendersonville, Tennessee, Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with ...

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackso ...

. He was drafted by the

in the 8th round of the

1991 MLB draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. Supplemental first round selections Compensation picks Other notable players *Kevin Stocker, 2nd round, 54th overall by the Philadel ...

. Ortiz played in

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in N ...

systems of the Red Sox, Texas Rangers,

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They p ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...

from 1991 to 2004. In a four-season MLB career, Ortiz was a .228 hitter (33-for-145) with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

s and 26

RBI RBI most often refers to: *Reserve Bank of India *Run batted in RBI may also refer to: Organisations *Radio Berlin International *Raiffeisen Bank International *Reed Business Information *Restaurant Brands International *Ruđer Bošković In ...

in 60 games, including 14 runs, seven doubles and three triples. Following his time in MLB, Ortiz played in

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formatio ...

with the 1997

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

Coaching career

After retiring from baseball, Ortiz opened a baseball school in

Keller, Texas Keller is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to the 2020 census, the city's population is 45,776, making Keller the 71st most populated city in Texas. The most recent population estimate, as of Jul ...

, called Swing City. He has published four hitting books; ''The Natural Hitter Handbook'', plus three drills books. Ortiz started his professional coaching career in the Texas Rangers organization as a coach for the

Spokane Indians The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Col ...

in 2008. He was a roving hitting coordinator in the Rangers' system from 2009 through 2011. In 2012, he was promoted to assistant hitting coordinator. Ortiz was let go from the Rangers organization after

Tim Purpura Timothy Gerard Purpura (born March 19, 1958 in Oak Lawn, Illinois) is an American baseball executive and former lawyer. He is the former General Manager of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball team. He was with the club from 2005 to 2007. Bi ...

was brought in by

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

to run the Rangers player development system. Ortiz was the lower-level hitting coordinator and the cultural development coordinator for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

in 2013. In 2014, Ortiz was promoted to assistant field coordinator while performing the role of hitting coordinator. Ortiz joined the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, and from 2015 through 2017 served as their minor-league field and hitting coordinator. Ortiz was named the interim major league

of the Padres for the final month of the 2017 season, after

Alan Zinter Alan Michael Zinter (born May 19, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and hitting coach. He played for Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1999 and with the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks of Major Le ...

was fired. On December 1, 2017, Ortiz was hired by the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

to share the dual role of assistant major league hitting coach/minor league hitting coordinator with

Brant Brown Brant Michael Brown (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. Brown played in Major League Baseball from 1996 through 2000 for the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirate ...

. He spent the 2018 season in that role. On November 14, 2018, Ortiz was named the

of the Texas Rangers, joining new manager

Chris Woodward Christopher Michael Woodward (born June 27, 1976) is an American former professional baseball utility player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, ...

's staff. Ortiz was let go by Texas following the 2021 season. In December 2021, Ortiz was named an assisting hitting coach for the

Personal life

Ortiz went back to school and graduated from

with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education & Health, with a minor in Management & Marketing. In doing so, he became the first player from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

to both play in MLB and graduate from college. Ortiz is married to his wife Susan, whom he met while at

, and they have four daughters, Gabriela, Naomi, Samantha, and Moriah.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Luis 1970 births Living people Boston Red Sox players Dominican Republic baseball coaches Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Edmonton Trappers players Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball third basemen Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball second basemen Mexican League baseball third basemen Nippon Professional Baseball infielders Oklahoma City 89ers players Olmecas de Tabasco players Omaha Royals players Ottawa Lynx players Pawtucket Red Sox players San Diego Padres coaches Sportspeople from Santo Domingo Sultanes de Monterrey players Texas Rangers coaches Texas Rangers players Tucson Sidewinders players Union Bulldogs baseball players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Yakult Swallows players